World's Biggest Sports Event Will Return to North America

On June 14 at 6:00 p.m. Moscowtime (11:00 a.m. ET), teams from Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia will kick off the 2018 World Cup at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Part of the United bid guaranteed all games would be played on natural grass, which means if Commonwealth Stadium is chosen as a final venue, the artificial turf would be replaced for the tournament. The attractive game transcends borders and cultures.

"Football is the victor". The vote tally was 134-65. There was one abstention.

The joint bid had been the front-runner for the 48-team tournament from the moment a North American coalition was first mooted two years ago, and there have been spells when it has looked like the only credible candidate. But FIFA President Gianni Infantino suggested the split of games could change.

Spain abstained, its attention diverted by news that national team manager Julen Lopetegui was headed to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid after the tournament.

On paper, it was hard to make the case for Morocco. All of the proposed stadiums exist already.

Mwendwa's stance implies the likes of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Benin, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Mozambique, Botswana, Cape Verde and Lesotho all went against a gentleman's agreement to vote for the North American bid.

But these votes are often about much more than stadiums, infrastructure and even profit.

"The issue about who will get automatic bids to the '26 World Cup, if that's the question, that is not Concacaf's decision that's FIFA's decision and that will be made in the passage of time", Cordeiro said.

The North American bid got 17 low-risk assessments and three medium (organizing cost, legal-government support, and human rights and labour standards).

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Large votes are often swayed by small concessions promised to the right number of smaller nations or by regional biases.

The North America bid also had to overcome concerns about the impact of policies from the Trump administration, including attempts to implement a ban on travel by residents of six majority-Muslim countries. Local leaders Chiefs President Mark Donovan, Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid, Mayor Sly James of Kansas City, Mo., and Mayor David Alvey of Kansas City, Kan., are hosting a news conference, and may discuss the possibility that the Kansas City metro could host a match. Iran, fans of neither the U.S.

"This shouldn't be a geopolitical discussion or decision", U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro said this week, according to the Los Angeles Times. It was the first event held in the then-new stadium.

The World Cup kicks off in Moscow on Thursday.

The United States disappointingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, ending its streak of seven consecutive tournament appearances.

Mexico has twice hosted the World Cup, in 1970 and 1986. We've landed a World Cup.

Each of the three host nations is set to stage a game on the opening day of the tournament.

Since the World Cup - at least on the men's side - must be played on grass, the artificial turf at Olympic Stadium will need to be replaced and the roof will need to open.

Southgate has chosen a formation and stuck to it, picked young and exciting players and given the side a true identity. Somehow boss Roy Hodgson survived the sack and was allowed to lead England into battle once again at Euro 2016.

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